Sarah Versus the Final Piece of the Puzzle
by LittleCandyMan
Summary: POST SEASON FINALE one shot! The story of Chuck was never a fairy tale. The kiss was magical, but not magical enough. Sarah decides she has some unfinished business to take care of while her memories of the past five years are quickly resurfacing.


**No way, not another of those post-finale stories where Sarah suddenly remembers everything. I've already read like forty-seven of those. Why would I want to read another? There are only so many ways for her to say she remembers. That is why this isn't her suddenly remembering everything because of a kiss. The story of Chuck and Sarah was never a Disney fairy tale and most likely didn't end in one. So, I used some common sense of rationality and decided to write what I believe is a possible finale that isn't less than a thousand words. Oh, and you don't have to tell me how bullshit this idea is. I already know.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

Chuck and Sarah are on the beach sitting side by side. Chuck had just dropped the idea that Morgan had of one magical kiss fixing everything; right after telling her their story. Chuck knows it is the most farfetched idea and has the slimmest possibility of working, but he would give anything just to kiss Sarah Walker again, his wife.

"Chuck?" She interrupts him before he can start rambling. _Spiraling,_ she corrects herself instantly without a thought about it.

"Yea?" Chuck looks at her over the empty beach running miles and miles behind her, but she is the only thing he wants. She is the only thing he sees. He sees those glacier blue eyes more vivid than ever before as they glance down at his lips, those supple luscious lips puckering ever so slightly into a smile, her golden hair frolicking in the sea breeze.

"Kiss me," she asks of him in a sincere but hopeful tone. She understands that before her memory loss, she was loved and in love with this man. Just from what she has been on since teaming up with him has shown her how someone as mentally closed off as she was can fall to his charm; can fall in love and be loved. She secretly begs that Morgan's idea could work because she has always surreptitiously wanted a life to share with someone else. She just never found the right person. If this person was the one to give her everything she's ever wanted like the house with the red door and the white picket fence, then she will learn to love him for who he is all over again.

His lips instantly start to curl into a successful and hopeful grin at her request. He doesn't need to respond with words because he knows that this is his last chance; that maybe telling her their fairy tale story helped her remembered everything and the kiss is just the key to unlocking the feelings. Again, she glances down at his lips as he slowly leans in towards her. As he gets halfway, she leans in; their lips like two magnets attracted to one another until their lips connect.

She immediately responds to those lips that feel so familiar to hers. She feels like this is something she's done before. She pulls back just enough for their noses to still be pressed along each other as she reminisces on kissing those soft velvety lips and the great feelings that surge through her. She realizes that she wants this; her body wants this. She recaptures his lips with more passion as it flows through her like an electrical current.

Their lips press against each other's again with more force and his left hand comes around to her cheek to caress her soft silky skin. She opens her mouth enough for his tongue to enter as if it was something she has always done. His tongue gently sweeps along the inside of her lips before finding her tongue and skating its taste along it. She finds that she enjoys the feeling but she doesn't know why. Did it suddenly happen or was it something she's enjoyed for the last five years? She doesn't know but she lets him taste her before he retracts to give her an equal opportunity. She needs to see if this is real and she encompasses her tongue over his and pushes. His tongue eases backwards as it retreats into his mouth; her tongue linked to it.

She tastes the familiarity of him. She doesn't know how to place it but her body reacts in kind to it. Her endorphins spike while her body blooms with warmth. If there was ever a doubt in her mind that she was never as in love as Chuck as he was in love with her, it was squashed by how her body reacts to his touch. Her body pleads for it. It is almost like the body was starved of its usual accustom and is finally back in tune. Her tongue finally retreats after getting its fill of him.

They both slowly open their eyes to gaze into one another's. Sarah's eyes are shimmering with comfort and familiarity while his are glimmering with love and entreat. She now wants to have all her memories back more than ever. She wants to know how she fell in love with this man, but the memories just aren't coming back to her.

Chuck finally blinks a few times and sighs dramatically. "So…" he finally breaks the silence, but not the eye contact. "I guess I kind of have to let you go," he admits with a heartbroken tone that only she can repair. "I can't keep you here longer than you want."

"I'm sorry, Chuck," she confesses with all her heart as she looks in the opposite direction from him and releases a lone tear down her right eye. She doesn't know what she is feeling, but it is something she's never felt before. It scares her and comforts her at the same time. She doesn't know what to do about it, but run away, like the spy she was trained to be.

"If you ever need anything," Chuck fights away the tears as he knows how this conversation is going to end, "you know who to call because, Sarah," he captures her left hand in his right hand and she feels her cold hand heat up instantly, "you'll always have me."

Sarah reminisces on a time when she was apologizing for not investing her care in his best friend, Morgan, because she never had someone like him. She wraps her hand around his instinctively as she turns back to look at him.

He has a grin on his face, but streaks of tears down his cheeks complement his heartbreak perfectly. His eyes are flowing with pure emotion and love. She glances down at their hands and she tightens her grip on his. A tiny smile forms on her lips as she remembers those two Nerd Herd employees playing a classic rock song, except for they weren't aware of the spy life back then. She looks back up into his eyes and his smile is just a bit wider; just a bit more reassuring. The song plays in her head as she gazes into the distance at the tranquil washing of ocean waves; the feeling of people dancing before her inside the familiar green and yellow of the Buy More.

Chuck follows her gaze into the distance as a flock of seagulls soar over the peaceful water as the rising sun gleams off of it. The song closes out in her mind and she is thrust back into the reality where she is sitting on the beach holding the hand of her supposed husband. She instantly releases his hand and feels a slight breeze of cold air hit her.

Chuck doesn't complain when she releases her hold on him. He knew it was inevitable that she would have to make a decision that he is certain she already made. As sappy as it sounds, the quote 'if you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were' has to come to mind here. He has to let her go. He has to let her free. He just needs to hope that she will come back to him; that she will be his once again, no matter the slim possibility. He finally realizes Sarah's been staring at him for the last ten seconds. He subtly grins at her.

"I have things to finish so I guess this is goodbye then," she states with a slightly sorrowful tone as she hands him the wedding ring he gave her that was housed in her right pocket. The ring reminds her of a time when she was filled with unending joy as she stood before an altar where Morgan is the Pasteur and Chuck is just smiling with a dapper tuxedo on. His vow was how he could express the depths of his love for her, his dreams of their future, the fact that he will fight for her every day, and that their kids will be like little superheroes with little capes. But in the end, he said that words couldn't express it all so there weren't any vows, except for that he'll prove his love to her every day. She shakes off the oddly familiar memory as if it is someone else's memory that she is reliving. "I'm sorry I'm no longer the person you fell in love with."

"Yes you are," Chuck whispers softly.

"What?"

"Yes you are," he speaks up with more confidence. "You're still the woman I love and you always will be. So you go, Sarah. Do whatever you have to," he gets choked up as he struggles to get out the last part, "but I… I'll always be here for you, waiting for you to come home."

"Chuck, I may never come back—" she tries to argue but he interrupts her.

"I know that, but I'll still be here, always waiting," he confesses with rivers running down his cheeks from his misty eyes.

She realizes that nothing she can do will deter him from being there for her. Chuck Bartowski will always love Sarah Walker and nothing will change that. She needs to break from him at one point and chooses now to do so. She stands up and doesn't bare a glance at Chuck for her heart would break further at seeing the dejected, hopeless expression that has to be forming on his face. She stands up tall, aware that Chuck is still sitting down and she can feel his gaze upon her. His eyes are glued to her like magnets.

Chuck watches as she straightens out her sweater and wipes the sand off of her pants. He wants to call out to her and tell her to wait. He wants to stop her and express his love for her; tell her that she doesn't have to leave; that she can stay here with him; she can learn to love him again. But he knows that is selfish of him. Tears stream down his face as he watches her walk away, not even glancing back at him. He internally begs that she'll turn around; that she'll look back and give him a smile; just something he can hold onto; something that hasn't been erased from her mind. It never comes. She disappears into the world to never be seen again.

He doesn't want to move. What if she comes back right now and realizes she is making a big mistake? What if she realizes she does love him and wants to be there with him? He knows she isn't coming back but he cannot bear to move. All he can do is sob for his broken heart that will never be mended. He did everything for her from the minute he met her. She was always the first thing on his mind with every decision. When he didn't want to run away in Prague was because she deserved better than having to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life. When Shaw threatened their lives and ensnared Sarah, he stopped Shaw and saved Sarah and everyone else, multiple times. When she needed him to find the cure to the Norseman, he found it and saved her. When she needed to stop her former handler, he was there because he wanted her to be safe. But now, none of it matters because they are just memories in his head. Only he has the recollection of what he's done for her. She doesn't know what he's been through to keep her by his side and to make her happy.

The tears flow freely as he pulls out a picture from his wallet. It is the picture of him holding Sarah around the waist from behind. They have the biggest smiles on their faces and it is one of the only real photos he had of them before they were really dating. The photo meant so much to him because it was the same photo Sarah kept in her suitcase all throughout their lives together. But now, it is just a photo to her; a picture. It holds no significance, no sentimentality. It might as well not exist anymore. All it does is remind him of a better time. A time when he was truly happy with the woman he loves just as happy.

Things will never be the same for him. He doesn't even know if he can stand living without her after what he's done for her. His life started with Sarah and is now ending with her leaving. He has nothing left to live for. His sister and her husband have moved to Chicago. His best friend is moving in with his girlfriend. His wife is gone forever. He has nothing to show for the last five years of his life.

**Two weeks later.**

Sarah is sitting inside the airplane waiting for her jump. She has tracked down the last known Fulcrum agent who has information to a villa in Italy with the help of General Beckman. The oddest thing Sarah has ever dealt with was when she starting remembering more and more of her past. Last week on her mission, she apprehended a woman who was helping Edgar and she had this fairly simple chain bracelet on. But Sarah suddenly remembered the time Chuck gave her his mother's charm bracelet.

It was in the Buy More and there was a hostage situation. When Chuck got the hostage taker to allow everyone a phone call to their loved ones, she was singled out as being all alone. Then she suddenly got a phone call from Chuck. She was so overjoyed to see his face because he saved her from such a humiliating experience. When she found him between the aisles of movies, he said he wanted to give her his Christmas present early. When she saw the bracelet, that was when she originally knew she was in love. It wasn't some expensive piece of jewelry to woo her. It was something that held great sentimental value in his entire family's bloodline. It had been passed down by generation and he was willing to give it to her when they weren't even really together. The best part was that she found the charm bracelet in her suitcase the day after remembering about it. It was hidden at the bottom, but she found it. Chuck must've slipped it in there and she has worn it ever since.

As the time idly passes by in the cabin of the plane, she fiddles with the charm bracelet. This Fulcrum agent she is about to apprehend has had a very checkered past, with herself and Chuck of all people. Jill Roberts was apparently Chuck's ex-girlfriend and broke his heart back in college. Then years later, she tried to do the same thing when she turned out to be Fulcrum. Too bad his heart already moved ship to Sarah. Once his heart rested on her, it never left. Even as she paces the cabin, his heart is still set on her. She knows he is probably hurting inside unlike any pain anyone's ever endured, but she is now more afraid to go back then to try to reinsert herself into his life. It isn't fair what she's done to him. She constantly tells herself that he is better off with her never coming back because she is not the same person he fell in love with. She may look the same but she is different. She doesn't have the same personality as she used to… at least she keeps telling herself that.

The green light flickers on and she slides her mask over her face. She leaps off the plane and into the cold night air. The air rushes past her body as she descends over the lighted villa half a mile from the closest civilization. If Jill Roberts is holding out as the wife of an Italian playboy, Sarah will find her and learn where the last Fulcrum leak remains.

She pulls her chute and gradually descends down to the ground. She rolls along the forested ground just outside the villa and quickly clips off her pack. She eyes the ten foot wall surrounding the villa and looks for a possible way in that is stealthier than blowing a hole through it. She smirks when she finds an overgrown tree that is nearly looking over the wall. She athletically and agilely climbs up the trunk of the tree and onto the first branch. She reaches up for the next branch and gymnastically flips herself over the branch and on top of it. She finds the branch creeping over the wall, and runs along her branch before she jumps for the creeping branch. She latches on with her left hand, kicks her way up the wall and onto the other side. She gazes around and doesn't see any enemy personnel. The man may be a playboy, but he doesn't know he has made an enemy as dangerous as Sarah Walker because his marriage with Jill Roberts.

The lights are on in most of the rooms and Sarah knows that her mark is still awake. Sarah puts on her thermal vision goggles and looks through the entire villa for any heat signatures that match a human body. She finds three people in the villa. Two of them are female and one is male by the shape of their bodies. Should be simple enough. One of the females is probably the live-in maid or cook.

Sarah sprints up to the wall and finds the window. She peeks in to make sure it is clear before sliding it open and climbing in. One female heat signature was on the first floor while the other one is on the second floor. Sarah stalks through the hallway along the first floor until she finds the room for the first heat signature. She knows that this is probably the maid or cook, but needs to make sure. She sneaks into the room and finds a lone woman sleeping in the fairly luxurious bed. Sarah studies the woman's features to instantly recognize her of being from Italian decent and looking much older than Jill Roberts. Sarah sneaks back out and climbs to the second floor.

She flips the thermal vision back on to see where the heat signatures have moved and finds that the male is in the master bedroom bathroom while the female one is in a room on the far end of the house. Sarah nearly has to smirk again as they are on opposite sides of the house. She sprints through the hallway and comes to a sliding stop at the door that houses none other than Jill Roberts. Sarah knows that she can enlighten a bit of Sarah's past, which will help with the whirl of memories Jill has brought back to Sarah. Sarah even remembers a music box that had some kind of pattern on it. It was Jill's partner's device. Sarah grins as she reminisces on being sprayed by some kind of powder and then washing it off in the shower with Chuck.

She remembers when Chuck came home from a long day at work and he just wanted to shower and sleep. He seemed fairly aggravated with how is day went so she had to surprise him somehow. She snuck into the bathroom while he was showering and stripped down to nothing. She quickly opened the shower door and jumped in behind Chuck. Before he could react, she planted a deliciously sultry kiss on his lips before happily indulging in their first time making love in the shower. She helped him burn off all the tension the day had brought him and he slept like a baby after covering her feet with his and cuddling in bed.

Sarah shakes herself of the memory and smile it caused and slips on the goggles one last time to see the location of Jill Roberts. She is in the room with her back turned while sitting down and doing something with her hands on a table. Sarah deducts that she must be typing something. Sarah throws the useless knowledge away and slowly opens the surprisingly heavy door only to be hit with a wave of a specific rhythmic piano tempo that acts as a baseline.

Sarah recalls the time when Chuck said he found the one. He found her favorite song. She liked that song; she still likes that song. She could never forget such a classic song by Nina Simone. Sarah remembers cuddling with Chuck and that was the first night they cuddled the entire night. Even when they were going to sleep, Chuck pulled down the covers, carried her in, and pulled them back up so they can sleep in each other's arms. That was the first time he put his feet on hers to keep them warm. She smiles warmly at the memory when she sees the brunette playing the piano.

Sarah instantly falls back into agent mode and slips into the room and shutting the heavy door quietly. The heaviness of the door and the numerous musical instruments around must mean it is soundproofed, which will work perfectly if she needs to torture the information out of Jill. Sarah can almost laugh at how everything has been so conveniently provided for her, but she knows not to push her luck or say something that will jinx it.

She remembers when she was lying in bed, flirting with Chuck how they had nothing to do that day because their wedding was coming up. Chuck's family did all the heavy lifting because they are just so sweet and sincere. She remembers when she said that nothing could go wrong only to end up having to save Chuck's mom and then ending up poisoned by a woman who was trying to be evil only because she didn't know what else to do. Sarah was poisoned by a device called the Norseman that put her in the hospital for nearly a week while Chuck did everything in his power to save her. She remembers his dedication to saving her, which led to the wedding she fondly remembers with a brilliant smile.

She blinks off the memory as she stalks up behind Jill until she is less than a foot away. Jill has no idea that Sarah is behind her. Sarah pulls out her combat knife and readies it. She whispers softly in Jill's ear, "Jill." Jill jumps up from being frightened only to have an arm wrap around her neck and a blade press into the skin along her neck. "Where is Edgar, Jill?" Sarah demands with a calm threatening tone.

"W—what's going on?" Jill stutters fearfully.

"Tell me where Edgar is and I won't kill you for what you did to Chuck," Sarah demands concisely with a bold confident tone.

"S—Sa—Sarah?" Jill sputters out nervously. "Oh god, please don't kill me. I'm no longer with Fulcrum. Please, I have a life now. Oh god, please don't kill me," she begs for her life.

"Then tell me where Edgar is," Sarah demands once again, her patience running thin. She wouldn't mind carving Jill up a little. It is only fair after what she had put Chuck through. If she never broke up with Chuck in college, then Chuck would be happy and not pinning over someone he lost in Sarah.

"I know where he is, but please just let go of me," Jill pleads honestly. She doesn't have any tricks up her sleeves as she just wants to continue her life as a wife and hopefully a mother at some point.

Sarah ponders Jill's request and releases her. Sarah quickly pulls out her Smith and Wesson Model 5906 handgun and aims it at Jill's chest. Sarah glances around to see all the numerous instruments lain across the room. "This is a music room," she informs Jill. "The walls are soundproof so if you make any movement, I will shoot you and no one will hear it."

"Okay, look…" Jill starts before reading over Sarah's menacing glare to see a very tiny hint of pain in her eyes. "Can I ask what happened to Chuck? I've always kind of been curious."

"How should I know?" Sarah responds dismissively. _He's lost and depressed without me._

"Oh, I just kind of always thought that you guys would be together," Jill responds a bit embarrassed. "He always looked up to you and cared about you. And you seemed to really care about protecting him."

"Who's the one with the gun?" Sarah asks rhetorically as she recalls all the emotions Jill stirred up when she appeared in the midst of the fight against Fulcrum. Sarah was hurt by Chuck actions when he chose Jill over her. He protected Jill and trusted Jill until she betrayed him by being Fulcrum. Even then, Chuck trusted her just to be betrayed again, and again. Sarah remembers seeing Chuck exit the conference building with a relieved smile on his face. He just helped save hundreds of lives and their partner, John Casey, from a bioweapon. But then he turned and pulled Jill into his arms and kissed her. She had to watch the man she loves kiss another woman.

"Are you alright?" Jill asks with surprising concern for someone she would call a foe.

Sarah quickly wipes away the tear running down her cheek. "I'm fine," she responds dismissively. "Now tell me where Edgar is."

"He's living on a ranch in Wyoming," Jill answers truthfully. "He wants to rebuild Fulcrum after investing ten years of his life into it. He asked me if I wanted to join him, but I declined because I'm happy here. I finally have a life I wanted for so long." Jill grins subtly at the blonde. "There was a time when I thought my life would be just like this but with Chuck."

Sarah reminisces on a time when she was happy with Chuck. She was staging a wedding for an impromptu mission because she trusted Chuck flashing on the Klug's and the Zephyr. They made an elaborate con with the help of her father. During the wedding party, which Chuck was the DJ of, her dad asked for a dance. She accepted and told him about their upcoming marriage. He thought that she would be always moving from adventure to adventure and never settling down like him. She thought she wanted that too, but Chuck showed her how happy she could be with him. She apologized to him for not following in his footsteps of being a lone rider. That was a ridiculous notion that she should've taken back. She was damn happy with Chuck and she didn't need to hide it.

Sarah finds herself grinning reverently before schooling her features. "So he's in Wyoming?"

"Yes," Jill stresses.

"You better not be lying to me," Sarah threatens.

"I'm not," Jill responds honestly. "I swear. Why would I risk what I have? I love it here. Just go please."

"Fine," Sarah huffs with narrows eyes as she scrutinizes the skinny brunette.

Jill chuckles in spite of the situation. "You know I haven't thought about Chuck in nearly three years now? It's kind of funny, but I hope he's happy. He deserves it after everything he's gone through. He was always a kind and selfless man."

"He was," Sarah echoes before stepping out of the room and leaving Jill forever. She caused the biggest stir of memories out of everything that has revealed the memories.

**One week later.**

Chuck slowly opens his eyes as his body finally decides it is time to wake up. He turns slightly and reaches over to feel his beautiful wife when he touches cold bedding. "Sarah?" The question dies on his lips as he remembers that she is gone forever. He sighs miserably and plops his head back onto his pillow. He blindly reaches across the nightstand and picks up the framed photo. He looks at it and smiles worshipfully through the tears forming in his eyes. It is the picture that she took herself of them at the Halloween party. She is wearing that super sexy Princess Leia costume and felt the need to give him a real photo instead of a fake one. He always cherished that photo because it was the first real one they've ever had.

He lets out a shaky breath as he knows she'll never come back. It's been three weeks and he has barely had the energy to leave the house. He rarely has an appetite and has lost most of himself. He cannot find humor in anything anymore. Yesterday, Morgan and Alex came over and he nearly broke down into tears in front of them when Alex stumbled upon the record player and played _Feeling Good_ by Nina Simone to try to cheer him up. That was Sarah's song. She said it was her favorite and she enjoyed listening to it when doing chores around the house. Luckily Morgan was there to stop it before the song hit its stride.

"Please come home," Chuck whispers as he hugs the photo to his chest. He would give up everything just to see her smile again. It was the most brilliant thing in the world. It could light up the darkest of rooms instantly. Her eyes sparkled when she smiled and Chuck would always instinctively smile back because he couldn't help but be happy that she was in his life.

He thought about trying to just get rid of everything that reminded him of her, but that just couldn't be done. When he looked at his own apartment, he thought of her. When he looked at his best friend Morgan, he thought of her. When he looked at the Buy More, he thought of her. When he looked at the ocean or beach, he thought of her. Nothing could pull him away from her because she had absorbed herself so deeply into his life and the people around him.

He trudges into the family room where the TV rests with the Xbox 360 that has failed to keep him from thinking about Sarah for more than five minutes. He turns it on hoping for the five minutes of relief when it instantly plays their wedding video that he was watching yesterday. She was so happy and her vows were so perfect. Those were wiped away by the Intersect and Quinn. He already feels himself breaking down into tears as he watches how happy they were together. How happy he once was. How happy she once was.

**One week later**

Sarah is speeding through the rugged terrain in the Hummer she was given by General Beckman. The charm bracelet is rattling along her wrist as she barrels through the dirt road. As she feels her front two tires lift off the ground, she reminisces when she ran St. Germaine over in the Hummer. Her quip about them not having to worry because she wore her seatbelt elicited a crooked grin from Chuck that she loves to see from him.

Her two front tires land on the ground with a shaky thud and she roves forward until she sees the shack that Edgar's base is located under. Sarah hits the gas harder as she gets into open territory along the grassy farmland. She sees two guards standing by the outside of the shack and rams the Hummer right into one of them while the other one jumps out of the way. She continues to crash through the dingy shack that is just a cover for the security base. She finally halts just past the broken down remains of the shack that is in tatters and shards of wood. She quickly kicks her door open and kills the other guard with one shot of her handgun.

She finds the hatch along the ground to enter the base and pulls it open to find a ladder that drops fifteen feet or so. She drops a flashbang down the hole and waits for the bang before sliding down the ladder. She hits the floor and quickly spins with her pistol aimed forward. There is no one so she hurries down the narrow hallway that is reminiscent of the old Castle that had multiple traverses that lead to different exits.

One of the exits was to the Buy More break room through a pair of lockers that she used a few times when trying to protect Chuck or just to steal him away for make out sessions. He was always a fantastic kisser, and his sneaky hands were always welcome on her body. Another hatch led to the home theater room, but she remembers when it was remodeled to have a lift in the home theater room instead of a ladder with a hatch. She remembers taking advantage of that lift many times; giving quick little kisses to Chuck as they wait to arrive at their destination. He always loves those pecks on the lips. It always brings a bright smile to his face that gave her butterflies almost every time.

She sprints to the end until she reaches a T-intersection. She looks down the left and sees a single door at the end. She looks down to the right to see three doors at the end. She hurries down the right side and takes the first door on the left. She finds herself in a small office with a cubicle on both sides, but is void of life. She opens the pack along her leg and plants a single C4 under the desk of the farther cubicle. She then exits cautiously and checks the door at the end of the hallway.

She finds herself in a luxury office with a nice cedar desk and leather chair. The room is pristine and clean with no files or anything lying out. She doesn't care about the possible intel in here as she knows that this is the last of Fulcrum. She plants another C4 under the desk and exits the room to check the last door on her left before the one at the other end of the hallway.

She kicks down the door to find a bathroom with three stalls and three showers. She quirks an eyebrow at seeing a community bathroom in the base. She tosses a C4 over one of the stalls and heads out and down the hallway to the other end where the single door awaits. She deducts that since she hasn't seen anyone yet, this door must house someone. She opens the door ajar and slips in a flashbang. She closes the door and waits for the dampened thud through the door. She hears it and bursts through the door with her gun aimed forward. She finds herself in a small laboratory with two scientists inside and one man in a business suit. There is a chair that has binds to it and an odd device floating over it with contraptions and hookups.

She remembers when she and Chuck had to act as a married couple in the suburbs. It was just them two unscripted and alone. They slept together in the single bed and she found herself in his arms halfway through the night and only wanted to be closer to him. Then they stumbled upon everyone in the cul-de-sac being Fulcrum and they uploaded Chuck with their version of the Intersect. She was so scared she was going to lose him forever and he would end up brain-dead. When he finished uploading it and was stuck in his stupor, her heart literally dropped as she thought he was lost forever. She wouldn't know what to do if she lost him like that. She couldn't live without him. When he broke out of it, she sighed heavier than she ever had before. But he acted like an unemotional robot after and it scared her all over again. She was fearful that they may've removed his memories only to leave him as a loyal robot. But when he told her to close her eyes, she knew he was alright. She knew that he was there to protect and keep her safe as he always has done. He held onto her as Casey started the Intersect upload to deteriorate the Fulcrum agents, she felt safe as he held onto her hand to comfort her. She needed his hand more than he knows and he saved her at that moment.

She quickly shoots down one of the scientists trying to recover from the flashbang and aims at the two other ones. "Freeze," she orders icily. Both soldiers are still fighting off the effects of the flashbang but are not going for their weapons. "Now where is Edgar?" Sarah demands with a venomous tone.

"What's going on?" The other scientist asks hazily as his ears are still ringing. Sarah shoots him in the chest and walks up to the man in the suit. She grabs a hold of his tie and pushes him against the wall forcefully.

"Where is he?" She demands ferociously.

"He's—he's not here," the man confesses as he shakes off the remnants of the flashbang.

"I know that. Where is he?" Sarah presses her gun into his neck.

"He's in L.A." the man chokes out as the gun pushes down on his windpipe. "He'll be there for two more weeks."

"Where in L.A.?" Sarah demands as she presses the gun deeper into his neck, further crushing his windpipe.

"There's a warehouse on the docks he uses for storage," the man admits quickly in fear of death.

"That's all I needed," she releases the man and steps back. She shoots him in the left kneecap and he shrieks in horrific pain as he falls to the floor. She pulls out another stick of C4 and plants it against the wall by the door as she steps out.

She walks through the small secret base and up the ladder. She climbs into her Hummer and flips open the detonator. She presses the button and hears the blast of the C4 exploding followed by the ground quaking thunderously. She looks in her back mirror to see a ball of inferno shoot out of the base.

She reminisces on when the Buy More was blown up. Shaw had her captured at the Nerd Herd desk and Chuck came back to save her. The Intersect was harming his brain, but he knew he could flash one last time because her life was on the line. He would do anything for her. He fought valiantly and at one point she thought he was defeated. His eyes were closed for ten seconds and he wasn't moving. She remembers the pain and heartbreak flowing through her as she thought she lost him. She cannot lose the man she loves. But then he suddenly woke up refreshed, with renewed life. He destroyed Shaw and chose not to kill the man who took his father away because he was stronger than the average person. Instead, Chuck stayed his hand like the man she came to know and love. He never killed anyone and she loves that about him.

**Three days later.**

Morgan is watching as Chuck absentmindedly stares at the counter by the door from his seat at the dining table. He's been staring deeply at it for the last five minutes. "Dude, what's up?" Morgan finally asks as he doesn't see the fascination with the counter holding a bowl for keys and sunglasses.

"I could've had her," Chuck states solemnly. "I could've gotten Sarah back, but I chose to upload the Intersect into myself. I'm so selfish," Chuck cries out painfully. "I chose defusing the bomb over her. Why would I do that?"

"You saved me," Morgan reasons gratefully, "and Casey, and Beckman, and Jeff and Lester, and all those people. Chuck you saved so many lives."

"But I lost the one life that matters the most to me!" Chuck shouts angrily. "I should've given her the Intersect. I shouldn't have uploaded it."

"We'd all be dead," Morgan states slightly shocked.

"I don't care," Chuck stands up abruptly as he thrashes around tearfully. "I'd have Sarah back. I'd have my wife and I'd be happy."

"You don't mean that," Morgan hates seeing his friend so down but there is nothing he can do. Nothing will make Chuck happy except for Sarah coming back.

"Yes I do!" Chuck argues with tears in his eyes. "Now I lost her. She's never coming back. I don't even know why I'm wearing this stupid thing!" Chuck pries off his wedding ring and tosses it at the door as hard as he can. He turns his back to the ring before scurrying back to it and frantically searching for it. He falls to his knees and starts feeling around on the floor. When he doesn't see it, he starts to freak out. "Where is it? Where's my ring? No," he gasps as he searches underneath the counter by the door. "Sarah helped me pick it out."

Morgan drops to his knees and helps Chuck find the ring when he sees it shimmer from just underneath the TV stand. He slides it out and cleans it off on his shirt. "Here," he gently hands it to Chuck.

"Thank you," Chuck quickly slides it on as if it is an oxygen tank and he is underwater. It replaces the tan line the ring had left on his finger from wearing it so long.

"You need to be stronger," Morgan informs sincerely. "If there is one thing I've learned from our friendship together, it is that you are stronger than this. You can get past this."

"How?" Chuck throws his hands up in the air. "She was the love of my life. We were married and now she is gone. You know the day I lost her to the Intersect? We were on the bullet train and we had time to kill. We made love; glorious, beautiful love," he smiles reverently through his tear-stained cheeks. "And after, she—we talked about our future. We talked about having the whole thing, the white picket fence, the dog, the child…" he sobs before snorting up his tears and emotions. "You're right," he weakly declares as he tries to school his features and emotions. "I do need to be stronger. Sarah would've wanted me to be stronger. I'm sorry for saying I don't care about you. You're my best friend."

"It's okay," Morgan just grins at Chuck's quick step up from where he was before. He can see big positive changes in Chuck's life coming soon.

**Four days later**

Sarah surveys the warehouse perched atop an adjacent factory to the warehouse. The warehouse causes her to reminisce on her first real kiss with Chuck. She was desperate to save him, and not just because it was her mission, but because she didn't want to lose him. Their emotions were running high because she was angry with him for protecting Lou and putting himself in danger. Then when she tried to get him to leave, he wouldn't. He was too stubborn, too much in love with her already. After foolishly threatening him with her gun, she knew it was over. They were going to die and she was never going to know what love felt like. She rashly decided to kiss him because she didn't want to die alone. She didn't want Chuck's last thought of her to be her aiming a gun at him and her irritated with him.

Sarah feels her curled lips with her finger as she remembers the delicious kiss. It was the first time she really tasted his sweet nectar. She looks back at the warehouse and studies it. Everything looks quiet inside and there are only a few guards posted at either entrance. She notices a cable running across from the factory to a power line over the warehouse. She looks on her person for something to zip line with, but comes up with nothing.

Her memory instantly sparks when she and Chuck were captured by Javier Cruz, a Ring agent. It was a hard time for them because she had wanted to run away with him and he chose the job over her, much like she had done the previous two years they knew each other. Then he came back and ruined their mission because he was distraught with winning her back. She cannot help but grin worshipfully when Chuck was ecstatic about taking Cruz out with a single punch. Then he released her from her cell and they made their way to the roof. With nowhere to go and limited ammo in the middle of Mexico, Chuck assured her that they can zip line using his belt. She remembers voicing her trust for him as she clings onto him and they rappel down the zip line safely… except for Cruz and his men surrounding them. But then Casey came in and saved the day with his M-134 minigun.

The point is that she can use her belt. Sarah unlatches the belt of her catsuit and flips it over the power line. She tightly holds each side as she mumbles, "I trust you, Chuck." She kicks off the railing and slides along speedily at the angled descent until she is hovering over the warehouse. She releases one of her hands and drops the ten feet onto the warehouse with a somersault to cushion her fall. She reattaches her belt and surveys the area again. She finds a pane glass ceiling window and presses a single suction cup to it. She pegs a rappel cable onto the roof and hooks it onto her belt. She looks down the window to see what is beneath her. After seeing that there are a few large crates and no people, she steps a few yards back. She sprints towards the window and jumps through.

The glass shatters around her like dust flakes in sunlight. She quickly captures the cable holding her and halts herself a few feet above the floor. She quickly unhooks the carabiner and aims her MP5K submachine gun quickly just in case if there are any targets. A guard turns the corner after hearing the racket of the crashing glass and Sarah fills a burst of lead into the guard's chest. He falls to the ground without even getting out a groan before dying. Sarah hears the sounds of people mobilizing and she sprints through the aisles between the crates until she finds the door to the office that Edgar most likely is inside. Three guards enter from around some crates to her right.

She swiftly turns and sprays half her clip into the guards. The three guards crumple to the ground and she doesn't waste any time as she goes for the door. As she puts her left hand on the knob, the door flies off its hinges and crashes into her with a heated blast. She is thrown backwards as the door collides with her forehead and she falls to the floor. She pushes the door off from on top of her and looks at the office that is now a blazing inferno. She tries to clear the haziness the impact with the door caused her when she hears a male voice speak.

"Agent Walker," the voice states almost smugly. Sarah turns her head to see Edgar standing over her with his Walther handgun aimed down at her. She can feel the blood oozing from her left temple as that is where the door made initial contact with her. She swallows grimly as she feels the end of her life upon her. She has no way out this and the only thing she regrets is Chuck. She wishes things with him were better off. She wishes she gave him more hope for her. She wishes she could've told him that she was remembering things like their wedding and their first kiss. "It's so nice to see you again," Edgar interrupts her list of regrets. "I take it Quinn was unsuccessful? Well, he paid me a great deal of money and the Intersect was never really my thing. But you have been a nuisance to me and my people. You destroyed my base and now I'm gonna destroy you."

The sound of multiple gunshots causes him to look up with a furrowed brow. Sarah feels herself getting hazier as her vision blurs and dims gradually. She blinks her eyes to see Edgar fire a few random shots past her as he retreats hastily. The last thing she hears is a gruff voice saying, "There she is! Get her behind cover!" before the curtains close on her vision and she loses consciousness.

**Sixteen hours later.**

Sarah tries to open her heavy eyelids but struggles. She fights through the grogginess as she opens her eyes completely. Her vision clears slowly and she blinks a few times to catch her bearings. She quickly deducts that she is in a hospital. She is lying in the bed and there is a bandage around her forehead. She slowly sits up and slides her back to the headboard of the hospital bed, fighting through the rustiness of her unused muscles. Her eyes scan the room when she sees a plethora of gardenias covering every surface from the floor to the counters and even the window sill. She smiles brightly as she sees her favorite flower in abundance. She doesn't know where they came from, but they make her feel loved, welcomed. Before she can really admire the gorgeous ensemble before her, the door opens and her head jerks to the entrance to see the one person who has been in her memories and dreams every chance he could.

She remembers seeing Chuck walk into her hospital room in a brown long-sleeved thermal shirt and a bouquet of gardenias in his hand. He is wearing a relieved yet overjoyed smile at seeing her safe. When she noticed the flowers in his hand, a large smile formed on her face. He knew her favorite flowers and brought her some. Bryce may've brought more flowers, but he didn't take the time to learn her favorite flower; like Chuck did. His joke about him not being an entirely incompetent spy brought even more joy to her face. When he was disheartened by all the flowers Bryce sent, she made sure he knew that he wasn't always going to come in second place behind Bryce. He was already in first place in capturing her heart and he was nearing the checkered flag already. He took the blame for what happened to her, but really, she felt guilty. She felt guilty for putting Chuck through such a ringer where she had to pose as Bryce's wife after him walking in on Bryce staying at her place for the few nights. She can still remember the pain he caused her when he didn't give her the usual compliments on her dress that night. She was so accustomed to his honest compliments and bright smiles that it hurt even more when he dismissed her as just looking good. But he was able to turn the situation into a joke, just like he always did when she needed it most. And she loves when he does that. He was joking about him probably not ideal to protect her. And she happily responded that he had a lot of good qualities but bodyguard wasn't one of them.

"You didn't forget about me, did you?" He jokingly quips with a bright smile and another bouquet of gardenias in his hand as he enters the hospital room.

"No," she chuckles ironically, "never."

"I hope you like the flowers."

"Gardenias," she smiles brightly, "they're my—"

"Favorite," Chuck finishes as he sits down on the edge of the bed. "I know."

She smiles brilliantly at him and for the first time, Chuck sees the true love that he was used to seeing in his wife. Her eyes are sparkling brightly; her lips are raised and perky. Even her skin is filled with more color.

"You know," he happily informs, "there was a time a few years ago you were in the same situation, except those weren't gardenias," he points to the garden along the wall, "and I didn't send them, Bryce did. But you assured me that I didn't always come in second place…" he trails off as he realizes he is spiraling annoyingly about something she probably isn't interested in anymore. It would be unfair if he tried to force the memories onto her. "But that was in the past," he quickly acts cool and nonchalant about it. "So, the doctor said you had a concussion."

"It was only a minor one," she responds airily.

"I'm glad you're okay. Sarah," his voice then takes on a concerning and heartfelt tone, "you can't be doing all this on your own. You're lucky Beckman had Casey and Gertrude back you up on your last mission. Otherwise… otherwise, I…" he chokes up at the thought of Sarah dying. He swallows the lump in his throat. "You could be killed," he finally states with a sigh as he blinks away the tears forming in his eyes.

That explains how she got to her hospital bed. "I'm sorry," Sarah shamefully admits as she sees the pain reemerge in his eyes, "but I need to stop Edgar. He is trying to rebuild Fulcrum."

"Sarah," Chuck deadpans, "you have a team. I remember when you were trying to figure out what your ex-handler, Ryker, knew about Molly's whereabouts—"

"You know about Ryker and Molly?" Sarah asks curiously.

"Sarah, please," Chuck acts nonchalant with an amused smile on his face, "we were married. We had no secrets between us. Actually, that was the last secret you held from me." Sarah nods her head in understanding as she allows Chuck to continue his story. "Yea, so you tried to do it all on your own and were unsuccessful. When you finally let us help you, we stopped Ryker and your mother and Molly are now safe. He'll never bother them again."

"I haven't seen my mother since giving away Molly," Sarah confesses sadly as she looks down.

"Yes you have," Chuck lifts her head back up with a gently finger on her chin. "You even have a baby sister now. The point is, Sarah, you have and always will have a team, a family. So, enough of this cavalier heroics and let me help you. Sarah… let me in."

"He's right, Walker," Casey appears suddenly as he slides into the room, Gertrude right behind him. "You have a team. Stop being so foolish and use it."

Sarah gazes upon the brunette as if she is somehow familiar, but she doesn't know how. It feels like it is on the tip of her tongue, Gertrude can feel Sarah's stare boring into her. Casey updated her on Sarah's misfortune. Gertrude's heart nearly broke just thinking how Chuck must've felt to lose the woman he loves so dearly. Gertrude finally decides to speak up. "So cut the shit, Sarah," she states seriously with a slight bite in her tone as if they are friends that can push each other without overstepping boundaries. "This is gonna take a team effort and you're looking at your team right now."

"Wait," Morgan slips into the door out of breath, "I'm part of this team too."

Chuck grins as he turns to see Sarah's response to their request. Her stoic face slowly breaks into a grateful grin and Chuck's smile only brightens. "If we do this," Sarah states optimistically, "we do this right."

**Five days later**

Chuck, Sarah, Casey, Gertrude, and Morgan are all walking towards the private jet of Edgar's, wearing blue pilot outfits and pilot hats. After finding intel on where he was housing his jet with the help of Verbanski's contacts of the private airfield's name and Chuck's Intersect flashing on the location of the airstrip, they immediately contracted Beckman for the outfits and headed for the airfield.

The five of them walk up to the plane where two men in black business suits are standing at the entrance of the plane. "Who are you?" One of the suited men questions as he grips his holstered pistol in a threatening stance.

Sarah walks up to them without saying a single word and grabs the man who talked by his throat while backward kicking the other one across the face to knock him out completely; her hat falling off her head. She grabs the man whose throat she is crushing and punches him across the face with her left hand and the man falls to the floor unconsciously. Chuck scoops up her hat as she straightens her outfit.

"Here, sweetie," Chuck hands her the hat, not realizing he called her by a pet name.

"Thanks," she smiles sweetly at him as she puts the hat back on.

"Come on, Bartowski," Casey speaks up, "let's get these bodies onto the plane."

**Thirty minutes later**

Edgar and two of his men step onto his private jet and find his seat in his lush leather lounge chair just behind the cabin while his two men step into the cockpit. The two men eye up the burly pilot complemented by the tall lanky pilot before one of them orders, "take us up now."

"Yes, sir," Casey nods and powers up the jet.

The two men find foldout seats in the cockpit and buckle up. One of them notices the sultry brunette flight attendant and grins salaciously at her. She smiles sweetly back from her seat across from the man.

After taking flight and reaching a safe altitude, Chuck unbuckles his seatbelt and steps out of his co-pilot chair. "Where're you going?" One of the men questions with a furrowed brow.

"The bathroom," Chuck replies. "I drank a lot of water earlier. You know," Chuck bobs his head undecidedly, "nobody likes a hung over pilot."

"What?" The man asks in shock that someone would be that reckless. A fist comes from out of nowhere and knocks him out cold. The other man looks over to see the brunette attendant standing over his partner. Chuck throws a right cross to knock out the last man.

Chuck puts his watch to his lips, "Sarah, we're all good in here."

"Roger that," Sarah responds from the back of the plane after stripping out of the flight attendant outfit into the black catsuit she had under. She looks over at Morgan fiddling with the control panel. "You disable it?"

"Yep," Morgan replies chirpily as he pulls out a single cable. "It'll be like trying to work an Xbox controller that isn't on."

"Good," Sarah steps into the cabin and calmly walks towards Edgar, who is sitting in his chair unbeknownst to his plane being commandeered. He catches a glimpse of gold in the corner of his eye and turns his chair slightly to see Sarah walking up to him in her black catsuit and her pistol leisurely in her right hand at her side.

"Agent Walker," Edgar shakes his head like Sarah made a huge mistake, "don't you ever learn? But you are persistent, I'll give you that." She provides him with a confident smirk as he pops open the case over the button to turn off the autopilot.

"It's not going to work," a calm male voice reasons from the cockpit. Edgar turns his head to see Chuck standing there.

"I know you…" Edgar tries to place the familiar face. "You were the one Roberts was working over," he smirks to try to insult Chuck.

"Well, I moved on," Chuck glances at Sarah before turning back to Edgar. "And so has she, so I've been told." Chuck notices Edgar slipping his hand into his jacket. "Yea… I wouldn't do that if I were you," Chuck suggests with a slightly regretful tone.

Before Edgar can grip his Walther, a stiletto shoe smacks him across the face. Sarah quickly disarms Edgar of his weapon and stares down on him menacingly. "You helped Quinn ruin my life," she states odiously as Edgar licks the blood dripping from the fresh cut on his lip from Sarah's shoe. "I should kill you, but I'm better than that. I'm stronger than that," she glances at Chuck with a subtle grin. His smile brightens tenfold as he remembers her saying he was stronger for not killing Shaw. "We're taking you into custody. I hope you like a prison cell because that's where you'll be living for the rest of your life." She pulls out a zip tie and ties his hands behind his back. She glances over at the victorious smile on Chuck's face and mirrors it. She throws a thunderous right punch across Edgar's face and knocks the consciousness right out of him.

"You look really sexy in that," Chuck compliments with a joyous smile that is in no way perverted.

"Thanks," she smiles brightly as she remembers when she went undercover into Volkoff Industries and she had to sneak back into Castle illegally. The look Chuck gave her then mirrors the one he is giving her now. He is overjoyed just to be seeing her again and she remembers the compliments he gave her that day, about how she looked in her outfit and out of it.

She slides her hand into his and Chuck smiles at her.

"Casey," Chuck speaks into his watch happily, "take us home."

**Two hours later**

"Where're you gonna go?" Chuck asks Casey and Gertrude with true concern for his good friends.

"Well, I've always wanted to go to Bali," Gertrude suggests with a predatory grin towards Casey.

"Just don't forget to check in some time," Chuck smiles brightly at how far Casey has come from being a cold school assassin to a whipped, kept man.

"Yea, you have a daughter here after all," Morgan adds in as they all enter the courtyard of the Echo Park complex.

"Thank you for the save earlier," Sarah hugs Casey, which causes Chuck to simply smile at how different this goodbye is compared to last time.

"You would've done the same thing for me, Walker," Casey responds with a friendly gesture of holding her against him for a brief second of five years of friendship.

"You take care of him," Gertrude orders Sarah with faux seriousness as she gestures towards Chuck before pulling Sarah into a quick hug.

"I will," Sarah responds softly as she takes the request completely to heart.

"I think one hug was enough," Chuck quips as he shakes Casey's hand. "Just don't be a stranger."

Casey grunts throatily with a smirk as he shakes Chuck's hand.

Gertrude wraps her arms around Chuck and holds him tightly. "Don't let go of her," she whispers into Chuck's ear.

"Never," Chuck responds honestly as he reciprocates the hug.

After releasing the hug, Gertrude happily states, "We'll see you around."

"I hope so," Chuck and Sarah both enter their apartment and close the door behind them. "So…" Chuck begins as he bounces on his heels with his thumbs in his pockets.

"Chuck?" Sarah asks with a soft caring tone. With so many of her memories coming back, she has felt the love that she once felt before. She has realized that she always and will always have a home here and this is where she wants to be. She was scared at first to admit it, but she is no longer a spy and Chuck makes her happy and will continue to make her happy for the rest of their destined lives.

"Yea?"

"I remembered things," she smiles brightly at him. "I remember our first kiss at the docks where we thought it was a bomb but it was Bryce." Chuck's eyes widen in surprise. "I remember in the suburbs when you saved me, Chuck. You protected me." Her smile widens. "I remember Barstow at that seedy hotel, which I still haven't forgiven Morgan for," she laughs and Chuck complements her angelic laugh with his own. "I remember you saving me from Shaw. You refused to kill him because you were stronger than him." They both smile widely at each other. "I remember the proposal when we were leaving the hospital. We didn't have to say a single word. It was just you and me… and the janitor," they both laugh with joyful tears in their eyes. "But most of all, Chuck, I remember the wedding. I remember Morgan marrying us under the United Federation of Planets. Your vows were about having little superhero children and how you would never stop proving your love for me."

"And I never did stop," Chuck responds as he caresses her left cheek with his right hand.

"Chuck, I think you have something of mine," she runs her fingers along his hand until she feels his wedding ring. He instantly knows what she is talking about and he digs into his pocket with his left hand to produce the diamond wedding ring he bought her. He kept it in his pocket every day since she left. He drops to a single knee as he holds the ring out.

Just like their first time, no words are exchanged. Sarah lifts her right hand right in front of him and he slides the ring on her finger without ever breaking eye contact. She drops to his level and attacks his lips with a fervent passion she didn't know she had. She blames it on the five years of love she has finally recovered as they hold each other in their arms while their lips play the romantic dance of love.

"I love you, Chuck," she smiles in awe as she gazes into her man's, her Chuck's warm inviting chocolate eyes.

"I love you too, Sarah," he sees the brilliance in her blue eyes recharged with a brightness he's never seen before. She dives back onto his lips and he falls onto his back as they continue to kiss to make up for the way too long separation they had previously suffered.

**Well, I hope you liked my rendition of a sequel to that "ambiguous" finale that has caused a range of emotions in Chuck fans. Feel free to leave a review if you'd like. It only makes me happier.**


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